A teacher at a Catholic pre-school has been arrested after allegedly covering the mouth of a 3-year-old girl and touching her inappropriately during nap time.

Michael Barbee, 32, initially denied having touched the toddler but allegedly confessed after agreeing to take a polygraph exam, reports Action News.

Police say the teacher was called ‘stupid’ by the 3-year-old girl, which motivated the assault.

Barbee was placed on administrative leave, with his employer issuing a statement saying: ‘There were no prior indications that Mr. Barbee was involved in activity of this nature’ and that all necessary criminal checks had been undertaken when he was hired and had come back clean.

The teacher is being held on $750,000 bail and investigations are ongoing.